Why use Clickers?

What can you do with them?

Doug Duncan, Clickers in the Classroom

–Measure what students know before you start to teach them

–Measure student attitudes

–Find out if they’ve done the reading

–Get students to confront common misconceptions

–Test student understanding

–Facilitate discussion and peer instruction

–Transform the way you do any demonstrations

–Increase class attendance

Suggestions (Derek Bruff, Teaching with Classroom Systems, 2009)

1. Consider the following questions when drafting clicker questions:

• What student learning objectives do I have for the question?
• What do I hope to learn about my students by asking this question?
• What will my students learn about each other when they see the
results of this question?
• How might this question be used to engage students with course
content in small-group or classwide discussions or by creating a time
for telling?

2. Look for answer choices for potential clicker questions in student

responses to open-ended questions, ones asked on assignments in
previous courses... This can lead to answer choices that better match
common student misconceptions and perspectives.

3. Use a variety of types of clicker questions.

4. Experiment with asking on-the-fly clicker questions.

5. Use clickers for purposes other than quizzes and taking attendance.
6. Use clickers for smaller courses, particularly in areas that focus on
sensitive or controversial topics (anonymity).

7. Have students respond to clicker questions several times throughout a

class session.

8. For some questions, have students think of their answers before showing
them the answer choices.

9. Have students respond to a clicker question individually before discussing

the question in small groups.

10. Be strategic about showing students the results of a clicker question.

11. Choose carefully when to indicate to students the correct answer to a

clicker question.

12. When reviewing a clicker question with students, spend at least some time
on each of the answer choices--right and wrong ones.

13. When reviewing a clicker question with students, have them share their
reasons for their answers.

14. When students find a question difficult, have them reengage with it
through small-group or classwide discussion and then revote.

15. Immediately after class, take a few notes about how particular clicker
questions played out during class.